Flush valve including adjustable restriction



P 1958 H. R. BILLETER ETAL 3,399,860

FLUSH VALVE INCLUDING ADJUSTABLE RESTRICTION Filed Jan. 25, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 20 Fig! D 2/ INVENTORS HENRY R. BILLETER BY AxEL B. NELSON PARKER 8 CARTER ATTORNEYS 22 l6 l2 I0 Fig. 3

Sept. 3, 1968 H. R. BILLETER ET AL 3,399,360

FLUSH VALVE INCLUDING ADJUSTABLE RESTRICTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 23, 1967 mai v. r hww INVENTORS; Hewer R. fill-4.51m 4x51. .9- NELSON PARKER 5 645x51;

ATTQRNEYS United States PatentOflice 3,399,860 FLUSH VALVE INCLUDING ADJUSTABLE RESTRICTION Henry R. Billeter, Deerfield,'and Axel B. Nelson, Moun Prospect, 11]., assignors to Sloan Valve Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed Jan. 23, 1967, Ser. No. 610,846

11 Claims. (Cl. 251-37) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A diaphragm type flush valve having a depending guide in the valve barrel which is equipped with adjustable restriction means to quiet and regulate the amount of water flow, the guide having a quiet acting refill head located adjacent the valve seat.

Background of the invention When flush valves are installed in plumbing systems where water pressures are relatively high, the valve closing action creates annoying noises during the'so-called refill action by the valve guide. Attempts to employ rough surfaces or screens were not always satisfactory as these tended to clog. Prior valve guides also were not equipped with reliable means to adjust for the proper amount of water passed through the valve. This adjustment also has an'etlect in producing quiet action in the valve. The present flush valve is provided with an improved guide element having both novel refill quieting means and water flow adjustment means integrally incorporated therewith.

Summary In diaphragm type flush valves, the diaphragm is usually provided with a depending guide within the barrel of the valve, which guide serves the purpose .of properly guiding the diaphragm to and from its seated position and also tapers off the flushing action prior to complete valve closure. This action provides the refill portion of water for the water closet seal. In the present invention, this guide is provided with a novel refill head consisting of a perforated ring and associated concentric supporting ring to provide quiet closing action. In addition the guide has a novel restriction ring on it encircling the guide wings for [regulating the amount of water flow through the valve. This restriction ringalso has an inherent quieting efiect on the water flow. The parts of the guide are easy to assemble, economical to produce, and function in a reliable manner. The guide and its parts are preferably made of suitable plastic materials for corrosion resistance and lightweight.

Description of the drawings r 3,399,860 Patented Sept. 3, 1968 'FIGURE 7 is a full side view of the modified adjustable guide; while FIGURE 8 is a partial cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale of the adjustable guide.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring specifically to FIGURE 1, there is illustrated in cross-section a flush valve of well known construction such as the Sloan ROYAL Flush Valve, the general details of which need not be pointed out,'except as they are concerned with the present invention. This flush valve includes the brass valve body 1 provided with an inlet water supply connection 2 and an outlet 3, between which there is an interior upstanding barrel 4. The upper edge of barrel 4 forms the annular main valve seat 5. The main valve member consists of a flexible circular rubber diaphragm 6 having a bottom valve seating portion 7 and which is clamped to the top end of a cylindrical guide member 8 extending downward with in the barrel 4. The diaphragm 6 is provided with a central opening 9 through which a clamping disc -10 extends with a portion 11 threaded into the guide memher 8, to clamp the diaphragm 6 tightly between them. Certain other details of the diaphragm 6 are preferably constructed in accordance with Patent 1,714,573, issued May 28, 1929. A relief valve 12 is carried by the clamping disc 10 and has a depending operating stem 13 which extends through the diaphragm opening 9 and within the guide member 8, the lower end 26 of the stem 13 being arranged opposite the actuating plunger 14. Plunger 14 is adapted to be pushed inward by the handle operator 15 to tilt the relief valve 12 oil its seat 16 across the opening 9 to initiate the operation of the valve.

- The valve body 1 is provided with an external cover 20 and an intern-a1 cover 21, the external cover 20 being screw threaded in to the body 1 and provided with a shoulder 22 which engages the outer peripheral edge of the internal cover 21 and presses it downwardly against the outer thickened edge 23 of the diaphragm 6 to clamp it firmly around its periphery in position in the valve body.

I In the ordinary operation of the flush valve described, pressures are equalized above and below the diaphragm 6 through the small bypass opening 24, and since the pressure area above the diaphragm in chamber 25 is greater than that below the diaphragm, the diaphragm is held tightly against valve seat 5, shutting off the water flow between the inlet 2 and outlet 3. Now when the plunger pin 14 is actuated inward by the operating handle 15 and contacts the stem 26, the relief valve 12 is tilted from its seat 16, so the pressure above the diaphragm in chamber 25 is relieved downward through the diaphragm central opening 9 to the outlet 3, so that the water pressure from inlet 2 is effective to flex the diaphragm 6 upwardly from its seat 5 and permit water flow through the flush valve from the inlet 2 to the outlet 3.

' The telescoping element 26 depending from the stem 13 enables the relief valve 12 to close upon its seat in the event the handle 15 is held unduly long in the operated position. With the relief valve 12 again seated, the upper chamber 25 is gradually filled to inlet pressure through the bypass 24 thereby timing the length of the flushing action and the amount of water passing through the valve, until the diaphragm 6 is again seated on main seat 5, shutting 01f the flow.

To reduce noise conditions when relatively high water pressures are encountered, the valve seat 5 is constructed so that it tapers or slants downward and outward from its inner edge to its outer edge as more clearly seen in FIGURE 2. The inner portion of the diaphragm seating section 7 first makes contact with the inner top edge of the seat 5 and then as the valve closing action continues, gradually closes onto the seat 5 progressively outward towards the outer edge until the diaphragm section 7 is fully seated. This action helps to prevent closing noise by pinching ofi the water fiow gradually instead of with an abrupt thump. This arrangement is more fully pointed out in Patent 2,776,812, issued Jan. 8, 1957.

It is known that the closing off noise of a flush valve which takes place immediately prior to the actual closing of the diaphragm upon its seat, as pointed out above, is greatly reduced or eliminated by the use of screens, rough surfaces and other means to break up the jet-like streams to reduce the velocity and cushion the flow of water, quieting the flush valve. In the present arrangement this is combined with the so-called refill head and comprises an annular perforated disc which rests upon and around a shoulder 31 formed at the upper end of the guide 8. The disc 30 is L-shaped in cross section and is provided with a multiplicity of small holes 32 of .027 inch size. The junction 33 of the two surfaces of the disc 30 is rounded off as shown. An annular refill head 34 conforms to and rests within the angle of the perforated disc 30 and has an annular stepped portion 35 formed in it immediately below the bottom of the diaphragm seating portion 7. The diaphragm 6 clamps directly on top of refill disc 34 and with perforated disc 30 is held against shoulder 31 by the threaded molded disc 16 so that the discs 30, 34 and guide 8 move up and down in unison with the movement of the diaphragm 6.

In the closing action of the diaphragm, the refill head assembly comprising the perforated disc 30 and disc 34 gradually move down into the barrel 4 and constricts the flow just prior to complete valve closure. This enables a small quantity of water to flow into the closet bowl which is syphoned out by the closet bowl action and which serves as a water seal in the bottom of the closet bowl. As pointed out previously, the closing movement of the diaphragm just prior to its seating results in greater velocity flow of the water and at higher water pressures this usually causes annoying audible noises. The high velocity streams impinging upon the rough surface of the perforated holes of the disc 30 are broken up and create turbulence in that area, slowing down the velocity of the stream and thereby eliminating the noise. The noise reduction is also assisted by the ledge 35 in disc 34 which acts as a pocket to trap a portion of the flow and cause it to create a reverse action with increased turbulence. The combination of the perforated disc 30 and disc 34 in the exact relationship is important for optimum quieting results. The curved portion 33 of the perforated disc 30 and the part of disc 34 which rests within it is critical for this purpose as numerous tests have proved. The arrangement of the refill head assembly while achieving quietness in valve operation also precludes the possibility of clogging the perforations 32 since the water flow does not take place through the holes but only over the rough surfaces created by the holes as more clearly seen in FIGURE 2. i

In the modification FIGURE 5 the disc 34 is shown with a thin upstanding flange 36 which serves as a centering spacer and support for the diaphragm 6 when clamped with the discs 30 and 34 to the shoulder 30 of guide 8. In both forms of the refill head, the two parts 30 and 34 are economical to produce, easy to assemble and function in a reliable manner to reduce noise.

In order to further assist in quieting the water flow through the valve and for other purposes, the cylindrical guide 8 is provided near its lower end with a restriction ring 40 which encircles the guide 8 and is supported thereon in close proximity to the inner wall of the barrel 4. The restriction ring 40 rests upon a recess or notch 41 formed in each of the four separate guide wings 42, 43, 44 and 45 extending integral with and outward around the guide 8 into close proximity of the barrel 4. The restriction ring 40 in its supported position is also spaced from the outer wall of guide 8 and thereby provides an annular passage 46 for the flow of water downward between the guide member 8 and the barrel 4 as seen in FIGURE 3. The guide wings 42 to 45 serve to properly guide the guide member 8 near its lower end as it reciprocates within the barrel 4in the opening and closing valve movements of the diaphragm 6.

The presence of the restriction ring 40 provides a certain amount of back pressure to the flow of water through the valve, which back pressure tends to reduce the velocity of water flow and thereby contributes to the quieting action of the valve.

In the accepted practice in the plumbing trade, the flush valve is required to deliver at least 4 /2 to 5 gallons of Water at 30 g.p.m. to properly flush a water closet. The presence of the restriction ring 40 of the size and width indicated, and which bridges approximately half the space between the guide member 8 and the barrel 4, will deliver the above quantity of water through the passage 46 before the valve shuts off. When the restriction ring 40 is entirely removed, the passage 46 is much greater so that a quantity of at least 6 to 7 gallons are delivered at 30 g.p.m,. for flushing a slop sink for example. When the flush valve is to flush a urinal fixture which requires only about l-gallon flush, the restriction ring 40 is removed and another ring substituted therefor which is half again as wide as ring 40, so the passage 46 is greatly restricted. The rate of flow in this case, however, is reduced to about 6 g.p.m. by the throttle stop (not shown) usually on the inlet side 2 of the valve.

It will be understood, of course, that the water flowing through the valve and impinging upon the restriction ring 40 will result in the diaphragm 6 being more forceably pulled down upon its seat 5, assisting the metering action caused by the water passing through bypass 24 into the chamber 25. Less water will therefore pass through the valve as a thicker restriction ring 40 is employed and the valve will therefore close sooner.

The removal or replacemnet of different restriction rings 40 is easily accomplished by simply taking off the valve covers 20 and 21, lifting out the diaphragm 5 and then unscrewing the molded disc 16 from the guide member 8. The quieting discs 30 and 34 are then removed after which the restriction ring 40 may be slipped down upon the recess 41 of the wings 42-45 on the guide 8 or replaced therefrom as desired.

For the purposes of lightweight, economy in manufacture and corrosion resistance, certain parts of the flush valve are preferably made of molded plastic materials. These materials also exhibit other strong characteristics such as dimensional stability, unaffected by different kinds of water, good strength, smooth action and reliable operation. The inside cover 21, the top of relief valve 12, the guide member 8 and the restriction ring 40, all may be made of DuPont Delrin materials to serve the purposes defined. Another desirable plastic material favored is Cycolac X-27, a product of Borg-Warner Co. The diaphragm 6, of course, is of molded rubber while the remaining elements concerned with the invention are made of brass as usual.

Description of the modification of the invention Referring now specifically to FIGURES 6 and 7, the construction of the flush valve generally is the same as in FIGURE 1 except for the guide and the fiow restriction device. In this arrangement the flow device is adapted to b variably adjusted to permit a quantity of up to four dillerent amounts of water to pass through the flush valve. The guide 50 is cylindrical shaped and similar to that of FIGURE 1 and is supported at its top end to the diaphragm 6 in the same manner. The quiet acting refill head 30 is likewise clamped to the guide 50. Adjacent the top end of the guide there is a series of openings or water passages 51, 52 and 53 bored in the sides of the g and four spaced apart guide wings such as 54 and 55 are formed integral with the guide and extend outward in close slidable proximity of the inner walls of the bar-rel 4.

A flow restriction cylinder shaped device 56 loosely encircles the outer circumference of the guide 50 and is about half the length of the same. Cylinder 56 has a series of slots such as 57, 58, and 59 cut into it from the bottom side upward. Each slot is of a different length and there are four sets of similar slots for the four guide wings such as 54, equally spaced around the guide 50. Each of the steps or slots represents a different flow restriction to the passage of water through the valve. This flow restriction cylinder 56 is easily removed for different adjustments by simply unscrewing the molded relief valve seating disc 16 from the top of the guide 50, taking off the diaphragm 6 and quiet disc 30, and then either removing the cylinder 56 or rotating it and dropping it down so that the four wings such as 54-55 slip into the desired one of the slots 57, 58, or 59 where the cylinder 56 remains held down in place by frictional force and gravity during water flow through the flush valve.

Referring now to FIGURE 8 which shows an enlarged fragmentary portion of the adjustable flow arrangement, when the flow device 56 is adjusted with the short slots 57 slipped over the wings 55, the upper edge 60 of the flow device will be closely adjacent the quiet disc 30, thereby partially blocking or restricting the water flow passing downthrough the passage 63. A portion of the flow also passes through the ports 51, 52, and 53. In this position of the flow device, the volume of water passed through the flush valve is approximately one (1) gallon, suitable for flushing a wash down urinal for example. Should the flow device 56 be adjusted so the intermediate slots 58 are slid over the wings 54-55, the top edge of the device will be located as indicated at 61 opposite the top of the ports 5153 partially blocking the same. This position of the device permits a volume of about three (3) gallons of water to pass before the flush valve shuts off, and this is a suitable amount for a pedestal type urinal for example.

When the flow disc 56 is adjusted with the long slots 59 in engagement with the guide wings 54 in the positions depicted in FIGURES 6 and 7, the top edge 62 of the device will be opposite the bottom of the openings 5153 in the guide 50. In this position, water flow takes place through the water ports 51-53 and down through the 0 the usual volume required to adequately flush a water closet.

The foregoing amounts of water passed through the flush valve and the various positions in which the flow device 56 is adjusted, assumes that the water pressures at the inlet of the flush valve are of normal values, say about 30 to psi In the event that the water pressures are abnormally low so that the last adjustment described above does not produce an amount of water (4 /2 gals.) for satisfactorily flushing a water closet, the flow device 56 is entirely removed from the assembly on the guide 50, thereby permitting a ful flow of water through the flush valve through both passages 63 and 64 without restriction, to hasten the valve closing action.

The throttle or shut off valve (not shown) which is always associated with the inlet 2 of the flush valve to control the flow rate, is adjusted wide open on low pressures and throttled down on excessively high pressures to suit the fixture to which the flush valve is attached. Often the flush valve is installed on a so-called slop sink which requires an amount of flush up to '7 gallons. This can only be provided when the throttle valve is wide open and Position of flow restriction device Amount Type of plumbing of fix ure on valve guide water 't At top end 1 Wash out urinal. Intermediate 3 Pedestal urinal. At bottom end 4% Water closet. Removed (for low pressures) 4% Do. Removed (for high pressures). 7 Slop sink.

We claim:

1. In a flush valve having inlet and outlet water passages:

an upstanding barrel portion in said flush valve having a main valve seat around the top end thereof,

a flexible diaphragm having a central opening therein surrounded by a main valve seating portion,

a cylindrical hollow guide member depending from said diaphragm and extending through said barrel portion,

a relief valve seatable across the diaphragm opening and having an operating stern depending through said guide member,

guide wings extending from around the lower end of said guide member into spaced relationship with said barrel portion,

means for operating said relief valve to cause said diaphragm to open from said main valve seat and permit water flow through said flush valve and through the passage between said barrel and said guide member, and

flow restriction means removably supported upon said guide wings,

said flow restriction means comprising a ring member encircling said guide member and spaced from said barrel and said guide member to provide a narrow passage to restrict the amount of water flow through said flush valve,

said flow restricting member also creating a certain amount of back pressure to the flow of water to assist in quieting the closing action of said main valve upon its seat.

2. In a flushvalve having an operating diaphragm and a barrel portion forming a water passage together with a main valve seat at the upper end of the barrel upon which said diaphragm is seated,

a cylindrical hollow guide member supported from said diaphragm and extending into said barrel portion,

a plurality of guide wings extending outward from'the lower end of said guide member into slidable contact with said barrel portion,

the space between said guide member and said barrel portion constituting the main passage for water flow through said flush valve, and

a flow restriction ring removeably supported on a notched portion on the top of each of said guide wings,

said flow restriction ring being of a size to partially restrict the water flow through said passage and when removed provide full flow,

said flow restriction ring also generating back pressure to free flow of water to assist in quiet closing action of said diaphragm upon its seat.

3. In a flush valve having an operating diaphragm and a barrel portion providing a water passage together with a main valve seat on the top end of said barrel portion for the diaphragm to seat upon and control the water flow through the flush valve,

a hollow cylindrical guide member attached to said diaphragm depending therefrom into said water passage and into said barrel,

a quiet acting refill head on the top end of said guide member adjacent said main valve seat,

said refill head comprising a perforated disc L-shape-d in cross section and a solid disc nesting within said perforated disc having a stepped portion around its circumference adjacent its outer edge,

said refill head being clamped and supported between the top of said guide member and said diaphragm,

said quiet refill head being located adjacent said main valve seat in the closed position of said valve,

said refill head effective to quiet the flow of water into said passage immediately prior to complete valve closure and to simultaneously restrict flow through said passage, and

means on the lower end of said guide for further controlling the flow of water through said passage and for assisting in quieting the closing action of said valve.

4. In a flush valve having an operating diaphragm and a barrel portion with a valve seating portion at its upper end for the diaphragm to seat upon,

a hollow cylindrical guide member depending axially from said diaphragm into spaced relationship with said barrel portion,

guide wings on said guide member bridging the space between said guide member and said barrel portion,

said guide wings being located at the lower end of said guide member and each having a notched portion at its outer end adjacent said barrel,

a flow restriction ring supported on the notched portion of said guide rings and encircling said guide member,

said flow restriction ring being spaced from said guide member and of a width to provide a restricted amount of water to pass between said guide member and said barrel when the diaphragm is unseated,

said flow restriction ring being removable from said supporting guide wings to provide a full amount of water to pass through said flush valve.

5. In a flush valve having a diaphragm and a barrel portion, the upper end of which provides a seat for the diaphragm.

a hollow cylindrical guide member supported by and axially depending from said diaphram into said barrel portion,

said guide member being spaced from the Walls of said barrel portion and provided with a series of guide wings bridging said space, and in slidable relationship with said barrel portion,

a How restriction ring removably insertable over said guide member and encircling the space between said guide member and said barrel portion,

said flow restriction ring having a series of slots formed reentrant from the bottom end whereby said flow restriction ring is supported upon said guide wings in a position to provide a restricted amount of water flow, and

means for supporting said flow restriction ring in different positions on said guide wings to provide a variable amount of water flow through the flush valve.

6. In a flush valve having a diaphragm and a barrel portion, the upper end of which provides a main valve seat for the diaphragm,

a hollow cylindrical guide member supported by and axially depending from said diaphragm into said barrel portion,

said guide member being spaced from the inner walls of said barrel portion and having a series of guide wings thereon bridging said space,

a cylindrical flow restriction ring removably insertable on said guide member and partially occupying the space between said guide member and said barrel portion,

said flow restriction ring having a series of reentrant slots in it extending upward from the bottom end thereof,

each of said slots being of a different length, said slots fitting over said guide wings to support said flow restriction ring in different positions upon said guide member depending upon which length of slot is fitted over the guide wings,

the position of said flow restriction ring on said guide member determining the amount of water flow passed through said flush valve.

7. In a flush valve having a diaphragm and a barrel portion, the upper end of said barrel portion providing a valve seat for said diaphragm,

a cylindrical guide member supported from and axially depending from said diaphragm into said barrel portion,

said guide member being spaced from the inner walls of said barrel portion to provide a flow passage therebetween,

said guide member having at least four guide wings thereon extending across said flow passage and in slidable relationship with said barrel portion,

a flow restriction ring encircling said guide member and partially occupying the flow passage,

said flow restriction ring having four sets of slots formed reentrant from the bottom end thereof,

the slots of each set being of a different length,

one slot of each set adapted to be slid over one of said guide wings to support the flow restriction ring thereon,

the different slots determining the position that said flow restriction ring occupies upon said guide member whereby the amount of water flow through said flow passage is variably adjusted,

the shortest slot providing the least restriction and therefore the least amount of water flow,

the intermediate slot the next greater amount, and the longest slot the greatest amount of water before the diaphragm closes upon the valve seat.

8. The flush valve as claimed in claim 7, in which the flow restriction ring in its various adjusted positions on said guide member is moved into closer or further apart relationship with the main valve seat to variably restrict the flow.

9. The flush valve as claimed in claim 7, in which complete removal of the flow restriction ring from the guide member provides a full unrestricted flow of water through the flow passage.

10. The flush valve as claimed in claim 7, in which the guide member has a series of flow passages in the sides thereof which in certain positions of the flow restriction ring are partially blocked off to restrict the water flow therethrough to the amount determined by the adjusted position of the flow restriction ring.

11. The flush valve as claimed in claim 7, in which the guide member is also provided with a refill head adjacent the valve seat which quiets the water flow and in which the flow restriction ring by restricting the flow assists the refill head in the quieting action.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 20,246 1/1937 Binnall 25 l40 X 1,858,470 5/1932 Sloan 25140 X 1,839,962 1/1932 Groeniger et al. 251-40 X 2,012,255 8/1935 Binnall 251-40 X 2,734,712 2/1956 Fraser 251-40 X ARNOLD ROSENTHAL, Primary Examiner. 

